General Planning Consultant Services RFP P5413 Contract No. 200703566 Work Order No. 2008-07 BELTLINE CORRIDOR ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY Public Involvement and Agency Coordin at i o n P l a n Prepared for: Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority and Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. Prepared by: AECOM/JJG Joint Venture Atlanta, GA June 2009 General Planning Consultant Services Public Involvement and Agency Coordination Plan Table of Contents 1.0 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................... 1-1 1.1 TRANSIT PROJECT HISTORY ................................................................................ 1-3 1.2 TRAILS PROJECT HISTORY ................................................................................... 1-3 1.3 PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT IN PREVIOUS STUDIES ................................................. 1-4 1.4 PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT FRAMEWORK................................................................. 1-4 1.5 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY ...................................................................................... 1-5 1.6 KEY RESOURCE CONCERNS ................................................................................ 1-6 2.0 THE PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT AND AGENCY COORDINATION PLAN ................................... 2-1 2.1 PART I – PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT .......................................................................... 2-1 2.1.1 Phase 1 Public Involvement ....................................................................... 2-1 2.1.2 Phase 2 Public Involvement ....................................................................... 2-8 2.1.3 Phase 3 Public Involvement ....................................................................... 2-9 2.2 PART II – AGENCY COORDINATION ...................................................................2-16 2.2.1 Coordination Points, Responsibilities, and Project Schedule .................2-20 2.3 STUDY PROCESS AND SCHEDULE ....................................................................2-21 List of Tables Table 2-1: Target Audience Updates/Presentations in Phase 1 ....................................................... 2-3 Table 2-2: Phase 1 Collateral Materials and Communication Tools ................................................ 2-7 Table 2-3: Phase 2 Public Involvement Activities ............................................................................. 2-8 Table 2-4: Phase 2 Public Involvement Schedule ............................................................................ 2-8 Table 2-5: Phase 3 Public Involvement Schedule ..........................................................................2-11 Table 2–6: Cooperating Agencies ...................................................................................................2-18 Table 2–7: NEPA Coordination Action Plan ....................................................................................2-20 Table 2–8: Study Process and Schedule ........................................................................................2-22 List of Figures Figure 1–1: BeltLine Study Area and Zones ..................................................................................... 1-2 Figure 1–2: BeltLine Tier 1 NEPA EIS Schedule .............................................................................. 1-6 Figure 2–1: Public Involvement Process Goals ................................................................................ 2-1 BeltLine Corridor Environmental Study i June 2009 General Planning Consultant Services Public Involvement and Agency Coordination Plan List of Attachments Attachment 1: TAC Membership ................................................................................................ A-2.3-1 Attachment 2: SAC Membership ................................................................................................ A-2.3-2 Attachment 3: Hotline Message Procedure ................................................................................ A-2.3-3 Attachment 4: Comment Form ................................................................................................... A-2.3-4 Attachment 5: Target Media Outlets ........................................................................................... A-2.3-6 Attachment 6: Phase 1 Public Involvement Activity Summary ................................................ A-2.3-11 Attachment 7: Agency Contact List .......................................................................................... A-2.3-14 BeltLine Corridor Environmental Study ii June 2009 General Planning Consultant Services Public Involvement and Agency Coordination Plan 1.0 INTRODUCTION The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), in cooperation with the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) and Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. (ABI) is preparing environ- mental documents for the BeltLine in the City of Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia. A Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is being prepared in accordance with the Na- tional Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), as amended, and implemented by the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations (40 CFR parts 1500 – 1508, Purpose, Poli- cy and Mandate), the FTA regulations (23 CFR part 771, Environmental Impact and Re- lated Procedures), and the FTA Statewide Planning/Metropolitan Planning regulations (23 CFR part 450, Planning Assistance and Standards), as well as the requirements of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) (Public Law 109-59). The Tier 1 EIS will examine a proposal to provide a new transit and trails system that would form an approximate 22-mile loop within the City of Atlanta. Figure 1.1 shows the location of the BeltLine Corridor. The analysis will serve as a basis for establishing the right-of-way (ROW) needs and general alignment of the transit and trail project along the entire 22-mile corridor. The transit and trails elements relate to one another and require iterative and concurrent development, analysis and consideration up to the Tier 1 decisions on alignment, con- ceptual design and technology. Subsequent Tier 2 NEPA analyses will evaluate specific impacts and mitigation measures for the 22-mile corridor based on refined design ele- ments, station locations, vehicle types, storage facilities, etc. The Tier 2 NEPA analyses will be conducted under a separate action. Concurrent with the Tier 1 analysis, MARTA and ABI will prepare the Environmental Ef- fects Report (EER) for the Northeast Zone of the BeltLine in accordance with the Geor- gia Environmental Policy Act (GEPA). Figure 1-1 details the BeltLine Study Area and Zones. GEPA requires the assessment of any state-level action to determine whether the action may significantly adversely affect the quality of the environment. The GEPA EER will evaluate and define the transit and trail elements of the project within the Northeast Zone, and establish the ROW requirements for those elements. This document is the Public Involvement and Agency Coordination Plan (PIAC) to sup- port the development of the Tier 1 EIS and the GEPA EER for the BeltLine Project. The PIAC Plan identifies opportunities for public and agency interaction with federal, state and local agencies, focusing on opportunities for public and agency review and com- ment. Section 6002 of SAFETEA-LU mandates standards for developing the PIAC Plan for all projects for which an EIS is prepared under NEPA. It stipulates that the pub- lic and agencies have an opportunity to review and comment on the Plan. It is antic- ipated that public and agency comments may lead to refinement of the PIAC Plan. A key focus of the PIAC Plan is to facilitate public understanding and solicit public ideas and input on the BeltLine Project alternatives, as well as potential consequences of al- ternative actions relative to the transportation, social, environmental and economic con- text. The PIAC Plan describes the overall approach and possible public involvement BeltLine Corridor Environmental Study 1-1 June 2009 General Planning Consultant Services Public Involvement and Agency Coordination Plan Figure 1-1: BeltLine Study Area and Zones BeltLine Corridor Environmental Study 1-2 June 2009 General Planning Consultant Services Public Involvement and Agency Coordination Plan techniques that will be employed over the course of the Tier 1 EIS to provide the public with opportunities to review and comment on key project milestone decisions, and to provide MARTA and ABI with the benefit of public insights during project planning and development. 1.1 Transit Project History In 2005, MARTA completed the Inner Core Transit Feasibility Study, which concluded that a major investment in the inner core area of Atlanta is feasible, and can improve neighborhood connectivity, complement the existing MARTA rail system, capture new riders to the entire transit system, and support redevelopment plans in the area. In January 2007, MARTA completed the BeltLine Alternatives Analysis: Detailed Screen- ing Results and Selection of Locally Preferred Alternative (January 2007). The Alterna- tives Analysis examined a full range of transit alternatives including a Transportation System Management Alternative and ten Build Alternatives involving variations of align- ments, station locations, mode and equipment and operating plans. MARTA evaluated each alternative according to its potential performance in four categories: mobility and accessibility, land use and